AP sports writer Pat Graham said that the combination of soft snow, due to warm weather in Sochi, and the tight course design is why skiers had such a difficult time finishing the course. According to Graham, one of the most difficult parts of the course was after the last jump where the skiers "could not slow down enough to clear a series of tight gates."

'There is no snow at the bottom, it's not funny anymore. This is a disaster, it was a shame for everybody,'' Switzerland's Lara Gut, who finished in fourth place, told the Associated Press.

Julie Mancuso and Leanne Smith were the only two Americans able to finish the course, they came in 7th and 18th, respectively. Mancuso told the AP that she was nervous before her run after watching so many of the skiers before her struggle.